Orchestra at Beur jail soon

PATNA: The face of Bihar prisons is changing fast and for good. The prisoners are no more spending a suffocating life of seclusion behind the bars. The prisons have seemingly got into a mode that is more than reformatory; for instance, Beur central model jail here will soon have an orchestra group comprising jail inmates.

Twenty-five prisoners are undergoing musical training for the last 15 days on the jail premises. However, there is no woman prisoner among them. "Acharya Gajendra Mishra is giving vocal and instrumental training to the prisoners and guitarist Ajay Kumar is imparting Spanish guitar training," said Anand Kishore, IG prisons and correctional services.

Initially, the inmates are taking training in harmonium, tabla and vocal training. "The timing of the training is between 2pm and 4pm. Many of the inmates are well trained in playing harmonium and tabla. They are also helping others to pick up the skills," said Shivendra Priyadarshi, superintendent, Beur central model jail.

Kishore said, "To keep the inmates fully engaged, the prisons department is trying to introduce new things for them. The department would soon buy casio and drums for the inmates. The inmates would mostly perform at different prison premises, but if security is ensured they would also be allowed to perform at private functions outside."

Meanwhile, the IG has issued two reminders to all the DMs in the state asking them to hold 'Bandi Darbar' at the prisons in their respective districts. According to the new Bihar Jail Manual, the DMs are supposed to conduct a 'Bandi Darbar' once every two months to address the grievances of the inmates. "I have received no report from any DM regarding the 'Bandi Darbar'," said Kishore.